Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
look at the earth beneath;
the heavens will vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment
and its inhabitants die like flies.
But my salvation will last forever,
my righteousness will never fail.
Isaiah 51:6
The prophet Isaiah was writing to the nation of Israel during a disturbing time. As God’s people they were going to be subject to His judgment because of their idolatry against Him. They were going to see some very hard times. Yet, in spite of their faithlessness to Him, God will one day bring them to Himself. Our text outlines the fact this very point. Even though they have, as a nation, rejected their Messiah, God will one day bring them to the point where they will accept His truth about Jesus and turn to Him.
He is faithful to His promises. He had promised to their ancestor Abraham that He would bless him and make him great. Part of that blessing was that he would bring his people to peace and that all of the world would see the greatness of the Lord and the glory of Israel. Obviously that hasn’t happened. But it will. God has established a New Covenant with them and they will return to Him (Jeremiah 31:31-34). He hasn’t run out of mercy and He doesn’t break His promises.
Similarly, those who have put their trust in Christ (the Messiah) are secure in the fact that the Lord’s salvation is forever. Think of it! Long after this life is over, we will be with the Lord. Long after all of the chaos and tumult of this world has ceased, we will “ever be with the Lord” (1 Thes 4:16-18). When this earth is replaced with a new heaven and new earth, God will still be righteous and we will be with Him.
These words were penned by Isaiah sometime around 700 B.C.. God has had the desire to dwell with us for a long time. In fact, He originally planned it that way (Genesis 1-2). But we, as humans rebelled against Him, and now, as sinners we are separated from Him. What is the answer? Read Isaiah 53. God planned it so that Jesus could take away our sin and make us new. His suffering was on your behalf. He fulfilled God’s righteous demand by living a perfect life and then dying on behalf of our sin, thereby taking our punishment (2 Cor 5:21).
So what do you need to do to receive the gift of forgiveness? Admit that you are a sinner that deserves eternal punishment and fully trust that Jesus died for your sin, personally. Don’t trust any of your own efforts to win His favor. If you ask Him to forgive you and make you new, He will do it. (John 3:16) He will make you His child. Now that’s something that will last forever!
When we’ve been there ten thousand years
Bright, shining as the sun
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise,
then when we first begun
- John Newton, Amazing Grace
